ICC slams proposed trial of Gadaffi lawyers

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has claimed that an attempt by Libya to prosecute a defence team assigned to Saif Al-Islam Gadaffi would be illegal, adding it has yet to receive any evidence to back up allegations made against the lawyers.

Libya: planned prosecution of ICC lawyers

Dr Fadi El-Abdallah, the ICC’s local representative, said that the ICC had asked Libya to provide details to back up claims that ‘secret documents’ had been passed to Mr Gadaffi during a client meeting last year.

National security

Following the allegations last year, Australian lawyer Melinda Taylor and three colleagues were detained for 26 days, with former Prime Minister Abdurrahim Al-Kib claiming at the time that the lawyers’ actions compromised the national security of Libya.
However, almost a year later the ICC is yet to receive any details and, according to the Saudi Gazette, Libya is planning to prosecute Ms Taylor and her female interpreter Helene Assaf in absentia.

Immunity

Mr Abdallah dismissed the idea of a prosecution, claiming that the ICC team has immunity which can only be lifted by the ICC. He added that the ICC would take no part in any such proceedings and denied that Ms Taylor and her team had done anything wrong.

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